U.S. Rep. John Katko on Wednesday urged Central New Yorkers to set aside their differences over plans for the future of Interstate 81 in Syracuse and allow the long-stalled project to move forward.

Katko said it would be a mistake for anyone to file a lawsuit challenging the state’s recommendation this week to tear down a 1.4-mile stretch of elevated highway and replace it with a street-level “community grid.”

“My message is that at some point we’ve got to rally around what it is and get it done right,” Katko said at an editorial board meeting of Syracuse.com | The Post-Standard.

Katko, R-Camillus, stopped short of endorsing the state’s recommendation. In 2017, he pushed state officials to study a tunnel option favored by some suburban businesses and towns surrounding Syracuse.

Katko said he had no regrets about asking for the additional study. But he made it clear Wednesday he doesn’t think opponents of the street-level grid should take the issue to court.

“I don’t think lawsuits are a good idea,” Katko said. “It could tie it up in the courts for years. I would hope the community would coalesce around it. That’s why I did those town halls.”

Katko held four town hall meetings this year in Onondaga and Cayuga counties to hear from the public on the issue. The state will hold a series of community meetings starting in June to discuss its analysis of three options for replacing the aging highway. A 45-day public comment period will follow.

The third-term congressman said he’s disturbed that the process has dragged on for nearly a decade. He said federal administrative requirements for interstate highway projects are “ridiculous.”

“It takes way too long,” he said. “It’s been 10 years and we still don’t have a decision.”

Katko said he’s not concerned about finding enough federal aid to pay for the project, estimated to cost about $2 billion for the street-level grid and improvements to the Interstate 481 bypass east of Syracuse.

The federal government pays about 80 percent of the cost of interstate highway projects. Katko said he would work in Congress to make sure adequate funding is granted to New York state in phases to pay for the I-81 project.

“Moving on, whatever people choose I will be the biggest cheerleader,” Katko said. “My main goal is to effectively advocate for it.”